Synod: high school students explore their relationship with the Church
Union Catholic Regional High School in Scotch Plains, N.J. recently held synod listening sessions to understand how students relate with the Church and discover ways to improve that relationship.
The Archdiocese of Newark is participating in a synodal journey with Catholics worldwide at the prompting of Pope Francis. The Holy Father recently called on Catholics to participate in the process of listening to the Holy Spirit and each other to discern the path the faithful must walk together.
The listening sessions offer all the People of God the opportunity to speak from their experience of “being Church” in our time, and more to the point, to speak from their heart about their own experience of discipleship, and to share their hopes and dreams, as well as any concerns they may have regarding the Church.
John Becht, a campus minister at Union Catholic, was the facilitator of the sessions.
“We chose members from three leadership organizations within our school to be participants (Student Ambassadors, Peer Ministers, and Student Council Executive Board),” said Becht.
“The synod listening session was a nice reflection on our connection to the Church and parish individually,” said Union Catholic junior Matthew Schutz, who participated in the event. “Often, it’s hard to focus on your own experiences and views because of the influence from others, but through this session, we were each able to understand our true feelings in the Church. This session is so important because it allows us to come together as a community to make our community and Church stronger.”
Union Catholic senior Addy Chelak echoed this sentiment, adding that Young people today don’t often get the opportunity to talk about their faith in a safe and supportive setting.
“It was very rewarding to get to hear how my peers are able to connect with God and how they express their faith in their daily lives,” Chelak said.
With resources from the Archdiocese of Newark, each session began with a prayer, followed by a short video, “Synod on Synodality – All You Need to Know,” followed by an explanation by the facilitator of the listening session (Becht).
Following the explanation, students watched Cardinal Tobin’s message on the synod and then were provided the procedure for the session. While in groups, students had the opportunity to discuss several questions that focused on their relationship with the Church and their opinions on how to strengthen the future of the Church.
“The synod listening sessions allowed for an open discussion between peers in a new environment,” said Union Catholic senior Courtney Lucious. “I got to learn about various opinions on the application of the Catholic church to our modern world. Being able to talk with my peers about the relationship between mental health and the Catholic Church offered various perspectives on a multi-faceted topic. This was such a valuable experience that allowed us to connect with one another through the use of engaging discussion.”
“After the groups had their discussions, we had a large group discussion where students had the opportunity to share with the entire group,” said Becht. “Students did an excellent job communicating their thoughts regarding their needs from the Church and how they believe the Church can better serve its members.”
Visit the Archdiocese of Newark’s synod web page to learn more.
The author, Jim Lambert, is the information director at Union Catholic Regional High School. This article was reprinted with permission.
Featured image: Union Catholic Regional High School in Scotch Plains, N.J. recently held synod listening sessions to understand how students relate with the Church and discover ways to improve that relationship. (Photo courtesy of Union Catholic Regional High School/Jim Lambert)
